In 1963, the Conservative government of British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan was
rocked with a sex scandal involving Macmillan's Secretary of War, John Profumo, and a
young woman named Christine Keeler. The fact that the married Profumo was having an
illicit relationship with a woman that many characterized as a high-price call girl was
certainly questionable, but not enough to topple a government. However, the fact that, at
the onset of the Cold War, Keeler was simultaneously sleeping with Captain Ivanov, a
naval attaché of the Soviet embassy in London and a likely spy was.

The story of "The Profumo Affair" is retold in Michael Caton-Jones' Scandal, but
not in the manner one might expect. All the political intrigue is there, and it ends with the
torrid spectacle of Keeler being brought before Judge Alfred T. Denning and grilled about
her sexual escapades with high-ranking British officials. But, in some ways, all of the fury
of the scandal itself is secondary to the film's main objective, which is charting the
relationship between Keeler (Joanne Whalley-Kilmer) and Dr. Stephen Ward (John Hurt),
an high society doctor who introduced Keeler to the world of sex and politics.

Ward is a fascinating and somewhat sad character who moved in the highest circles of
British political power by grooming young women and introducing them to important
people. In the end, the government determined that this was nothing less than prostitution,
but the film argues that, at least in his relationship with Keeler, it was something else. The
court proves that money and gifts were often exchanged between Keeler and her sexual
partners, but as the film makes clear, monetary incentives were of no real importance to
either her or Ward.

Ward simply wanted to be part of the power elite, to mix and mingle with those in power,
not to gain power himself, but simply to be associated. His method for doing so was
certainly unsavory from a certain point of view. But, Ward was a libertine, a man who
constantly insists throughout the film that "we are all flesh," and giving in to that fact is
only natural. "There's no harm in it as long as nobody gets hurt," he says. "The trouble
with this world is that everybody's afraid to enjoy themselves or they're too ashamed to
admit it." Ward is not ashamed to admit that he likes to enjoy himself, and his view of life
is infectious. When Keeler admits before the court that Ward controlled her mind, it is not
so much an admission of his dominating her, but of her joining in his world view.

The screenplay by Michael Thomas centers on the relationship between Ward and Keeler,
showing how, despite the court's findings otherwise, they could be friends who never slept
with each other and never considered their dealings to be business-related. In the film's
opening scene, Ward discovers Keeler working as an exotic dancer. She later comes to live
with him while he grooms her and then brings her to parties where she meets men like John
Profumo (Ian McKellen). The film does not shy away from depicting the early stages of
what would become the "Swinging London" scene in the 1960s, complete with lavish,
upscale orgies (one of which was a little too explicit for the MPAA ratings board and had
to be snipped in order to garner an R-rating) and the introduction of marijuana and other
drugs.

Keeler is something of a paradox because, despite all of her illicit behavior, she retains a
certain aura of innocence that is unshakeable. Part of it is due to her devotion to Ward, on
whose shoulder she cries when she feels lost; part of it is also due to the actress who plays
her, Joanne Whalley-Kilmer, whose large, oval eyes are almost like those of a deer. Keeler
is nicely contrasted with Mandy Rice-Davies (Bridget Fonda), another young woman who
enters Ward's fold. Rice-Davies is much more calculating and cynical, and we learn a great
deal about both of them in their conversations about men and sex.

Caton-Jones, in his directorial debut, punches up the narrative with late '50s rock music
and a melodramatic investment in the characters that redeems the salacious story. He is
more interested in the people rather than the parts they played in a national scandal. Of
course, these people are intimately bound up in those events, but his emphasis on the
relationships rather than the investigations gives us a more privileged view on what it feels
like for the private to be made public, and the life-and-death ramifications that follow.

Scandal
DVD

This DVD contains the complete 114-minute cut of
Scandal, which retains several minutes of footage that had to be cut for the 1989
U.S. theatrical release in order to avoid an X-rating.

Aspect
Ratio

1.85:1

Anamorphic

Yes

Audio

Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround

Languages

English

Subtitles

None

Supplements

Original
theatrical trailer

Distributor

Anchor
Bay Entertainment

SRP

$29.98

VIDEO

Scandal is presented in a new anamorphic
transfer in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio. The image is generally good, although it does
seem a bit soft throughout. Detail level remains high, though, and colors look solid and
well-saturated. Flesh tones (of which there are plenty) appear natural, and black levels
remain consistently solid, with only the vaguest hint of grain.

AUDIO

The soundtrack is available in either Dolby 2.0 surround
or newly remixed Dolby Digital 5.1 surround. Both soundtracks sound crisp and clear, with
the 5.1 track adding additional depth and surround to the film's music. The majority of the
film is dialogue, and it is really only in transition scenes that the speakers are filled with
period rock music.

SUPPLEMENTS

The only supplement provided is the original theatrical
trailer, in anamorphic widescreen and stereo sound.